This Avocado Pesto is easy to make in just about 10 minutes! It's a delicious topping for toast. Plus it's the perfect dip, sauce, or dressing for your favorite sandwiches, flatbreads, pasta, and so much more!
If you love avocados, have you made avocado pesto yet? It's so easy and SO GOOD! Such a nice creamy alternative to standard basil pesto.
You can use this pesto on so many dishes, like turkey pesto sandwiches, pesto orzo pasta salad, and delicious Caprese tartines.
And it's so simple to make, you'll want to come back to it over and over again!
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🌟 Why you'll love this recipe
Do you love pesto like I do? Whether it's Spinach Pesto, Carrot Top Pesto or Mint Pesto, these flavorful sauces are a common part of my meal prep.
If you're looking for something a little different, try this Creamy Avocado Pesto.
- This pesto has a nice smooth, rich, creamy texture compared to other pestos.
- It's a great way to use up avocados before they turn (which we all know, happens too quickly!).
- You can make this in less than 10 minutes.
- It's so versatile. You can use it on everything from pastas and sandwiches to pizzas and salads.
🥑 Ingredient notes
Avocados - choose avocados that are medium ripe and soft. If you want an even creamier texture, add an extra avocado.
Greens - I use both spinach and basil to add extra nutritional value to this pesto. You can use just one or the other if you prefer.
Olive oil - Some extra virgin olive oil to help the pesto emulsify and become deliciously smooth.
Garlic - This provides nice aromatic flavor.
Pine nuts - For some buttery flavor and added structure.
Lemon juice - Some acidity to brighten up the pesto.
Parmesan - For a nice bit of tanginess.
✅ Step-by-step instructions
Making this avocado pesto sauce is SO easy! Here are some step-by-step photos to help you. You'll find the full ingredients and detailed instructions in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
First, peel the avocado and crush it.
- Then, toss all the ingredients into a food processor or a blender.
- Pulse until all of the ingredients are well combined, and the pesto reaches your preferred level of creaminess. That's it!
👩🏻🍳 Recipe FAQs
Yes! Simply swap out the parmesan cheese for vegan parmesan shreds or skip the cheese altogether. This pesto will still be super tasty!
If you don't like or can't have pine nuts, you can substitute them for walnuts or even pistachios as long as they're safe for you to consume. Both will give the pesto some extra texture and structure.
Absolutely. Avocado may give the pesto a slightly more buttery flavor than olive oil, but it will work perfectly well in pesto
Store fresh pesto in a mason jar or other airtight container in the refrigerator. It should keep in the fridge for up to one week.
Yes! You can freeze pesto for up to six months. My favorite method of freezing pesto is to divide the pesto into the openings of an ice cube tray, freeze. Then pop out the frozen pesto cubes and place them in a freezer bag or freezer container. This way, you can take out and thaw just the portion you need for cooking when you are ready to use the pesto.
🍽 Serving ideas
Once you've made a batch of this avocado pesto, you can use it in so many ways!
- Put a twist in garlic bread with this yummy pesto bread.
- Use as a condiment in turkey pesto sandwiches.
- Make these delicious and fresh open-faced Pesto Caprese Tartines with cherry tomatoes.
- Use as a sauce in your favorite pasta recipes like this mushroom pesto pasta.
- Use as a salad dressing on pesto orzo pasta salad.
- Spread onto crackers and top with crumbled bacon, chopped almonds, chopped hard boiled eggs, or chopped tomatoes for a tasty party appetizer dish.
- Use as a dip for veggies.
More recipes that use avocados
Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to leave a 5-Star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card, and if you really loved it, please leave a comment further down on the page. Thank you!
Creamy Avocado Pesto
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves
- ½ cup spinach leaves
- 1 medium ripe avocado peeled and pitted
- 2 medium-sized cloves garlic roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon pine nuts
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a food processor (or blender) and pulse in 10-second increments until well blended. Makes about 1 cup of avocado pesto. Enjoy immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is a general estimate. Actual nutrition details may vary depending on the exact foods & brands you use to make this recipe. It does not take into account any substitutions, toppings, or optional ingredients.
Mariah says
I love avocado! This looks so good! I'm definitely going to try it out after a trip to the store :)
Ashley says
I LOVE pesto!! I think I definitely need to give this avocado version a try. It looks delish!
xo Ashley
Emily @ Recipes to Nourish says
Love this idea! I'm a huge pesto fan, this sounds so good!
Julia says
I love the idea of avocado in pesto. I have to give that a try this summer! This would be great on avocado toast with some fresh mozzarella and tomato!
renee says
Looks delicious and super easy. I love pesto of any kind--definitely adding this to the recipe list!
Jessica Bradshaw says
This looks awesome!! I love the bright colors!
Citra Kale @Citra's Home Diary says
your pesto absolutely looks creamy and fresh. Great recipe Marylynn..
Peanuts & Thread says
Oh my, I'm a sucker for avocado recipes.
Marlynn Jayme Schotland says
Ahh me too! Especially this time of year (but honestly, 365 days a year!).
Jakob Boman says
Wow.. it looks so delicious!! I love pesto and avocado so I have to try it soon. Thanks for sharing!
Diana Johnson says
This pesto looks absolutely fantastic! I love the suggestions you give for using it.
Cassandra says
Yum! Avocado and pesto together! It's the perfect match. Can't wait to try this...
Erin @ Platings and Pairings says
This looks SO amazing Marlynn! I can just imagine that the basil and avocado go together so well. I'd love to try it over pasta!
RAZ says
I love avocado. I can put avocado on everything :D your recipe looks deli. I will try this. :)
Lauren says
This looks amazing! I just started eating avocado - I only like it mixed with other things so this is perfect!
Chelsea says
I LOVE avo. This looks amazing!
Kritika says
This looks so delicious! Gonna be trying it out soon. Thanks for the recipe :)